A few days later, while talking with Isaac, Hazel learns that Augustus may have been writing a sequel to An Imperial Affliction for her. Hazel, still upset with his behavior, asks him to leave. In an attempt for forgiveness, Van Houten tries to reveal the fate of Anna’s mother. He explains that he and Augustus maintained correspondence since Amsterdam and that Augustus had demanded he make up for ruining their trip by attending his funeral. At the funeral, Hazel is astonished to find Van Houten in attendance. Hazel quotes Van Houten about “larger and smaller infinities,” reaffirms her love for him, and states that she would not trade their short time together for anything in the world. In his final days, Augustus invites Isaac and Hazel to his pre-funeral, where they give eulogies. Augustus ends up in the ICU for a few days. Upon their return to Indianapolis, Augustus’ health significantly worsens. Resolute, the two affirm their love and support for each other. The next day, Augustus confesses that a recent PET scan revealed his cancer to have relapsed. Hazel struggles to climb the many stairs and ladders leading up to the attic due to her lungs but by the end of the tour, Augustus and Hazel share a romantic kiss, followed by an applause from the other tourists in the attic. Accompanied by Lidewij, Hazel and Augustus visit the Anne Frank House. The two leave the author in anger and disappointment. Horrified by Van Houten’s behavior, Lidewij confesses to having arranged the meeting on his behalf, angering Van Houten, who proceeds to insult Hazel’s cancer and refuses to answer any of her questions. Hazel and Augustus finally meet Van Houten but are shocked to find that, instead of a prolific genius, he is a mean-spirited drunk. Augustus then confesses his love for Hazel that night. When Hazel and Gus first get to Amsterdam, they go to a restaurant and find that Van Houten paid for their meal and champagne. Maria, one of the physicians most familiar with her case, convinces Hazel’s parents that Hazel must travel because she needs to live her life. The medical team argues against the trip until Dr. As she struggles with her love for Augustus and her death, Hazel suffers an episode of pleural effusion and is sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) prompting her parents and her doctors to question the safety of overseas travel. On Caroline’s memorial page, a comment by Caroline’s friend causes Hazel to compare herself to a grenade: Hazel loves Augustus and fears hurting him when she dies. Later, she looks up Augustus’s ex-girlfriend, Caroline Mathers, who died of brain cancer. She is thrilled, but when he touches her face she feels hesitant for some reason. Later, at a Dutch-themed picnic, Augustus surprises Hazel with tickets to Amsterdam, attained through a charitable foundation.
Hazel proposes the trip to her mother but is rejected due to financial and medical constraints. Van Houten eventually replies, explaining that he can only answer Hazel’s questions in person. Hazel writes to Van Houten with questions regarding the novel’s ambiguous ending and the fate of the mother of Anna. Hazel explains the novel’s mysterious author had retreated following the novel’s publication and has not been heard from since.Ī week later, Augustus reveals to Hazel that he has tracked down Van Houten’s assistant, Lidewij, and, through her, has managed to start an e-mail correspondence with Van Houten. After Augustus finishes reading her book, he is frustrated upon learning that the novel ends abruptly without a conclusion. Augustus gives Hazel The Price of Dawn, and Hazel recommends An Imperial Affliction, a novel, written by Peter Van Houten, about a cancer-stricken girl named Anna that parallels Hazel’s own experience.
The two bond immediately after the meeting and Augustus invites Hazel to his house where the two strengthen their bond over a movie and their experiences with cancer.īefore departing, the two agree to read each other’s favorite novels. Augustus is at the meeting to support his mutual friend, Isaac, who is losing his remaining eye to cancer. During a support meeting, Hazel meets a 17-year-old teenage boy named Augustus Waters, whose osteosarcoma caused him to lose his leg.
Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old teenager with thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs, attends a cancer patients’ support group at her mother’s behest.